Biarritz and a game of mudby (it should have been rugby!)

It had been raining in Pamplona all week. Several outlying villages are flooded and some of the roads are closed. Luckily for us the main roads were not affected but the weather never let up as we made our way down to the coast and along to the French border.

When we got to Biarritz it was quite easy to find our hotel, the oddly named Txutxu-Mutxu, which we presume is pronounce Choo-choo Moo-choo! We were very fortunate to find a parking space just up the road and we were soon in our room. The decor is a bit tired and pink in places, but we found the hotel more than adequate for the price, just over 50 Euros. The shower was wonderful, the pillows were soft and the quilt was very warm. What more do you need?

There was a break in the rain so we decided to walk down to the seafront. It seemed a bit strange that pretty much all the shops were closed and even more bizarre that the bars didn't open until the late afternoon or evening - especially on a rugby weekend! The beach is probably quite nice on a sunny day. It

seemed rather desolate as the rain started to hammer down again!! Nevertheless, we had a good walk as usual and admired the birds sitting on the rocks out at sea. It was a bit miserable but the views were nice as we followed the rugged route around the peninsula but at least the surfers seemed to be enjoying themselves.

In the evening the rain got worse! We went out for dinner before the rugby match. Such choice - French cuisine, Basque delights, but we settled for the American style HD Diner! It was excellent with enormous burgers and beer at less than 7 Euros a pint!! The latter was hard to find in Biarritz. Bellies full we decided to brave the rain and walk half an hour up to the rugby ground. We had to walk off that meal somehow!!

At the rugby ground we were surprised to find an enormous beer tent erected with food stalls all around and a band (sounding more Oompah than Basque) in full swing. It was cheap and very cheerful. Most of the fans were French but there were a few Brits in there too.

put paid to any thoughts of a skillful game of rugby being played out before us. It was entertaining though and both sets of supporters created a good atmosphere. The Harlequins fans were in good voice but the Biarritz chants of "B.O.....B.O.....B.O....." got a bit repetitive. Football could never have been played in such conditions but rugby players are made of sterner stuff. You had to feel sorry for them though!!

After the match the beer tent was packed. Both sets of fans mixed and it was really good to be in there. The rain never did stop though, and after trudging our way back to the hotel and a reasonable night's sleep, we decided to head straight back to Pamplona where, yes, you've guessed, it was still raining!!!!

Russ and Trish are still in Spain 7 years on and loving it!
Take a look at www.anythingbutpaella.com to see more about what we have been doing there.
Wow, it's this long since we left the UK to change our lives!
For those who want to see all about what we did before May 2006, follow these links:
Sept 2005 - April 2006 Peru, Bolivia and Argentina
June - Sept 2004 Bolivia
[url=ht... full info